Patrick Peterson, founding member of DMARC and founder and executive chairman at Agari, said: “The move to require all governmental departments to use DMARC to authenticate their emails is a fantastic move toward improving security for both the UK government and its citizens.

“Email is the number one entry point for data breaches, and the use of DMARC email authentication protocol for all .gov email domains will greatly reduce the risk of breaches and cyber attacks.

“This includes targeted email attacks such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and spear phishing, which target governmental staff by impersonating senior officials, and phishing attacks that target members of the public by spoofing the .gov brand.”

According to a recent Gartner report, ‘phishing is the most common targeted method of cyber attack’. Another recent Gartner report highlighted that ‘a comprehensive and effective anti-phishing programme extends protection beyond the perimeter to detect and eradicate phishing campaigns that abuse corporate brands and names in attacks against customers and members of the public.’

Peterson added: “A new generation of UK citizens expects a range of digital services which are more convenient, less costly and green. Email is a key underpinning of these digital services and this initiative ensures the government can operate efficiently and keep UK citizens safe.”